Valley Football Club
Valley FC is a semi-professional football club based in Wellington, New Zealand. The club currently play in the WSFL division 1 and also have a development side in division 3. Valley FC was founded in 2012 by a group of flatmates living in a run down house in Aro Valley, lead by Thomas Barclay. The first players came from across New Zealand and South East Asia, brought together by their concurrent scholarly pursuits at Victoria University of Wellington and by regular five-a-side football tournaments held indoors at Boyd-Wilson Arena. The club has become a symbol of Wellington culture and supporters are often heard chanting the team motto 'V2D' (Valley till I Die). The Valley support act includes an increasingly popular sideline band, which provides an upbeat and festive atmosphere to almost every match. The sounds of percussion, brass and woodwind bring joy to both Valley and opposition players and supporters. Unlike most clubs, Valley FC is owned and operated by the players association. Decisions with regards to finances, expansion, new signings and transfers are made democratically, usually accompanied by a few good brews. History Formation The concept for Valley FC was born in late 2011. After a season toiling away for University team 'The Lazy Greys', Thomas Barclay, Cameron Poole Smith and Hin Siang Tay decided to begin their own football club. The idea was to have a team made up of a hand picked group of friends, rather than a bunch of players thrown together by the bureaucratic processes of a larger club. By the Start of 2012 plans were fully in motion for the formation of this new club. The team was to compete under the banner of the Victoria University of Wellington Association Football Club, but would for all intents and purposes be autonomous. Soon thereafter the side would establish the name 'Valley FC' to represent the birthplace of the club and its humble origins. A new emblem and kit soon followed, albeit to some controversy. It has been speculated that Valley FC, in an act of blatant copyright infringement, pilfered the Notts County F.C. emblem and kit design. Valley staff however, maintained that the similarities were purely coincidental. In 2015 Valley FC unveiled a new emblem that replaced the so-called 'pilfered' previous emblem. Early Years (2012-2013) Main Article: 2012 Valley FC Season Transition to Sunday League (2014) Post Singapore Era (2015) Main Article: 2015 Valley FC Season Rivalries Rampage Valley's rivalry with IBU Rampage stemmed from a particularly heated match in early 2012, in which one of Valley's smallest players was lifted from behind in a strangle hold with seemingly little provocation. This disgusting and dishonorable act was not acceptable and incited Valley to rally from 2-0 down to win the match 4-2. Rampage were considered by many in the Capital divisions to be a ruthless side and after that day, matches against them were thought of as a rather big deal. Sprig & Fern Valley's rivalry with Spring & Fern is both competitive and good-natured. At the end of the 2014 season the two sides locked horns twice in a row with everything on the line. During 2014 Valley suffered a torrid season, finishing bottom of division 1. The major season highlight however, was a particularly successful run in the WSFL Plate competition. Having managed to reach the final, Valley were to face division 2 champions Sprig & Fern. S&F were heavy favourites having won every match in division 2, whilst conceding a grand total of 4 goals all year across all competitions. Not only were Valley to meet S&F in the Plate Final but also in the promotion/relegation match between divisions 1 and 2 the following week. The Plate match was an incredibly tight affair, with Valley ultimately claiming their first major silverware after a last minute penalty gave the boys a 3-2 victory. The promotion/relegation match the following week was just as close, with Valley closing out the match 2-1. With Valley scoring more goals against S&F in 2014 (5) than all other opponents put together, S&F respectfully hosted post match drinks down at the pub. With Valley taking both the Plate and the final place in division 1 during their last 2 matches or 2014, the season will forever go down in Valley history as one to be remembered. Spring & Fern shall be remembered as an integral part of that story. Honours -Plate Winners 2014 Players Current Squad Out On Loan Wider Training Squad Retired Numbers Notable Former Players Alann Ahmad (2012-2014) Jun Jie (2012-2014) Danny Brabazon (2012-2014) Christian Hermansen (2012-2013) Robert Bertoni (2012) Joe Davies (2012) Matthew Timms (2012) William Steel (2012) Dylan Page (2012-2013) Muhammad (2014) James Smith (2014) Matt Geach (2014) Category:Sports Club